The Ten Best Food Destinations in the World

We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open. ~ Jawaharal Nehru

The experience around food is what makes a particular meal, dish, or destination unique and able to stand out above all others. It’s about the place, the time, and the people and “the best meal” can be found in a fine dining restaurant or in a crowded street market. If you’ve ever heard the expression, “Food doesn’t travel well,” it’s true. How can you recreate that special moment influenced by place and time and have it be as memorable for someone else as it was for you?

With our current food obsessed culture, culinary travel is becoming the most popular reason to visit many places around the world. While we travel great distances to enjoy unique food, wine, and spirits, it is also important to be educated about the region and its people, learn about the history and architecture, and have time to take in the scenery and the surroundings. Those things have as much impact on the food experience as does the food itself.

With that in mind, here are the ten places that consistently excite the senses and the palate.

South of France

Gourdon in the South of France

A food lover’s destination for many years and a favorite place to visit of Julia Child and James Beard, the South of France combines the most incredible sensory inspiration possible with some of the best local ingredients available anywhere in the world. Markets with fresh fruits and vegetables, butcher shops, fishmongers, and cheese purveyors are abundant. Regional wines are excellent and freshly baked French bread with French butter is the stuff that memories are made of. Grab a seat high above the rocky cliffs along the Mediterranean or a chair in a medieval walled city for a meal with a view that you will never forget.

Barcelona

Mercat de la Boqueira in Barcelona

This bustling city filled with unique buildings and the stunning cathedral, Sagrada Familia, designed by Antoni Gaudí, is a city for passionate lovers of history, architecture, and food. The Mercat de la Boqueria is a feast for the eyes and senses with meats, cheeses, spices, seafood, and fresh produce as far as the eye can see. Kiosko Universal, a counter restaurant at one corner of the market, prepares some of the simplest and best food we’ve ever had: razor clams sautéed with a mixture of olive oil, garlic and parsley along with generous platters piled high with exotic mushrooms prepared in much the same way. Fabulous tapas restaurants abound in this gorgeous city. Give yourself a week to explore and see everything the city offers. Barcelona is not to be missed.

Italy

Trattoria alla Rivetta in Venice

It’s hard to chose one place or city in Italy to visit or dine. Depending on the terroir and the regional specialties of wine, aged meats, cheeses, olive oil, seafood, and pasta, you can visit almost any town in Italy and have a great and often, unforgettable meal. Some of our favorite places include: the coastal regions on the Adriatic where the wines are crisp and dry and compliment the brininess of the fresh seafood; and Tuscany, where the bold, red wines are perfect with the heavier pasta dishes and the views of the vineyards and rolling hills are breathtaking. Friuli stole our hearts last year with its many unique wines, small artisan food producers, and influences from neighboring countries like Austria and Germany. Who knew grilled meats so simply prepared could be so incredibly good? Only in a small trattoria in Friuli. You can’t replicate that.

Mexico City

Mexico City (Photo Credit – Internet)

Up and coming on the culinary scene, Mexico City gives us a great reason to venture South of the Border. From incredible food markets and casual street stands, to posh restaurants serving globally inspired cuisine, Mexico City has become the place to travel for the culinarily minded. If you want to eat locally, order a Hurache, a street food specialty. Made from fried masa dough and topped with meat and other accompaniments, all you will need is a local microbrew or Mezcal to wash it down.

Taipei

Street food vendor in Taipei (Photo Credit – Internet)

Speaking of street food, Taipei has some of the world’s best with it’s rich noodle soups, steamed buns, and dumplings. With influences from China and Taiwan, seasonings include taste bud tantalizing Taiwanese basil, white pepper, cilantro, pickled vegetables, and star anise. Gua Bao is one of the most popular street foods in Taipei that has made its way to the United States via many well-known chefs. If you think this braised pork belly on a steamed bun with pickled mustard greens, cilantro, and chopped peanuts is tasty here, just wait until you try it late night on the streets of Taipei.

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About the Author

Gwen Pratesi

Gwen Pratesi is a James Beard Foundation Award Finalist in Journalism and award-winning travel writer. She is the author and owner of PratesiLiving.com with her husband, coauthor of Southern Heat, and co-owner of On the Road Culinary Adventures, a culinary travel business. She is a contributor to the Travel section of U.S. News & World Report and freelances for other publications including Forbes Travel Guide, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Magazine, and World Travel Magazine.
Her work has also been featured on MSN, Yahoo!, Business Insider, and SheKnows.com.
Gwen chronicles her love of international travel and experience as a professional home cook on PratesiLiving.com, where she shares the stories of some of the world's most sought after destinations, highly regarded chefs, restaurateurs, farmers, wine and spirits producers, and culinary artisans.
She and her husband just traded in big city life in Atlanta for shorts and flip flops at Fernandina Beach, Florida. They look forward to enjoying the coastal lifestyle and welcoming a new dog to their family in the near future.

come! n let the asian street food blow your mind!

Hi Winnie,

Yes, it is a great city and the street food is definitely some of the best in the world.

Gwen

Taipei all the way for me too.

Must visit various food stands in the night market, and be amazed with the creativity and the taste that these food hawkers deliver at a super friendly price. You can sit on a bench with your food and watch passers by. Or better yet, walk along the night market while you eat and explore. The whole city is a carnival with 24h convenient stores at every street corner that you will never be alone (someone should do a piece how convenient a Taiwan convenient store can be).

Hi,

Thank you for your comment. That is one of the best parts of street food in Taipei – amazing food at a reasonable price.

Gwen

Taipei city is a best place to reach out to Asian culture,and the unique food culture is also worth to experience,especially the traditional night market,gathering a lot of tasty food around Taiwan even from abroad.

my vote to Taipei! oh yeah ~

Vote for Taipei, one the best cities in Asia, oh, maybe in the world.

Surprised by Charleston, will have to check that out.

Taipei is great for uniqueness and variety, disappointed to see Montreal miss out, but I guess with so many places, choosing only ten is a challenge. Would also like to have seen Singapore or Bangkok make the list, not having SE Asian representation is an affront to my taste buds.

Hi,

Yes, Charleston is a great food city. You should travel there if you have the chance.

I do agree that choosing ten is a difficult task and that there are many incredible food cities in the world. Montreal would be another great choice as Singapore and Bangkok. We do love the SE Asian flavors as well.

Gwen

I’m salivating like a dog just thinking about all the food in Taipei and the rest of Taiwan. Hubby and I suffer about three weeks of clinical depression every time we return to the US from Taiwan, missing all the good food there.

Taipei is by far my favorite city in Asia, food-wise and culturally as a whole.. surprises me why more people don’t visit! Nice article!

What about the north of France (Paris) and Tokyo…?
London in the top 10 made me laugh as well. English food is the worst.

Hi Val,

Yes, of course, Paris is always one of the best food destinations. Limiting the list to ten is nearly impossible and I wanted to mention some places that have amazing food that are often not considered for the “Ten Best” lists. BTW, I would have put Hong Kong in the list before Tokyo. Also, London has a very different food scene now than what it used to have. As I mentioned, it’s not just Fish & Chips anymore.

Gwen

very decent article, good job.

For me personally, Taipei will be at the first place for me.

The food in Taipei is so diverse and tasty. Inexpensive price is also another reason. On top of this,Taipei is very good place for tourists as locals are so friendly and willing to help foreigners. Although not all locals can speak excellent english, body language is more than enough surviving there:)

I wish I can visit all the place you recommended one day!!

Italy and Taipei is at the top of my list for sure.

One Asian city on the list… and it is Taipei? Give me a break. How about the Michelin stars of Tokyo or the street food of Bangkok. Taipei doesn’t hold a candle to either of them. Many of the top end Chinese restaurants are indeed great but nowhere near as worthy as other major Asian cities.

I have lived both in Taipei and New Orleans for more than 10 years. Love the food in both city. Do not judge food by how many Michelin rated restaurants the city has. The food that normal people love to eat is not usually what Michelin or food critics would love. New Orleans’s unique cuisine is unforgettable. I still could dream of the boiled blue crabs…before the BP oil spill.

Hong Kong food must have a place among the best. It gathers the best of China and coastal Asia.
Bacelona offers the best paella, sangria and tapas.
Lisbon keeps the authentic Portuguese food which is different, special and ingenious but inexpensive.
Don’t miss the Croatian food which is always delicious and large portion for the hungry.
There was no good food in London 30 years ago, except fish and chips. Selecting kidney pie is a matter of luck. Last year I was lucky to have tried some very fresh roasted sallmon steak with geen salad unforgettably from a country roadside pub. I heard that there are some modern and creative foods in London which are definitely for the very few and rich.
Australia offers the best freshlly roasted lamb most dellicious without seasoning.
I must also mention that a motel near Washington DC offers the most unforgetable breakfast served with freshly picked strawberry, fresh creme and fresh pancake. Also, a suburb restaurant Oscar offers fantastic dinner at very reasonable price 27 years ago. They all reside in my memmory.

I am a Taiwan person,I saw this new I was extremely(very)Surprised.But Taipei have a lot of food, like:擔仔麵 ….more , I could said:Taiwan is a good place.But
Taipei(Songshan International ) Airport,just a few was come form U.S.A ,You can took airplane to Taoyuan International Airport , than take High Speed Rail.If you do not want , you could took airplane to Kaohsiung International Airport,
than eat at Kaosiung , it is second best.

“Oh I must say, Taiwanese see themselves and are very exciting to make the country list. Not only in Taipei, but all of Taiwan, there are many very good places.
LangDe Xuming from Formosa (Taiwan)”

I know some people are surprised that Taipei made the list. When I think of Taipei I think of the street food, the lights, the excitement of the moment. Street vendors create very flavorful creations. The flavors, combined with the location affords a unique culinary experience that is quite memorable. But, as Gwen said in the article, that experience doesn’t travel well. Creating the same food in Brooklyn won’t have the same impact, just like eating a beignet in Des Moines is not going to be the same as at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans.

I am going to Taiwan in September. I am sooo excited!

All my friends told me good things about the people and of course the food!

Next time, you may like to write an entire post dedicated to Taiwan night markets.

My brother owns a franchise restaurant that specialized in “Hot Pot” 火鍋料理, I can’t describe to you how terrific the gathering around a hot pot with friends and families to enjoy a hot meal unless you do it the Taiwan way:-)

There are many business models for restaurant business in Taiwan – if you ever go there, try ANYTHING and EVERYTHING food-wide. Just talking about it makes me homesick!!

Finally a list that shows why I have lived and stayed in Taipei for seven years now. I have traveled all over Southeast Asia and returned to Canada a few times in that time and I get homesick and hungry for the food here. I try to get people to come and visit just so I can take them to the stands that I know are the best. Every market, street corner, stand and shop has something delicious for you to try. Taiwan’s mix of all different styles has created something magical that can only be described as Taiwanese, and until you’ve tried it, you just don’t know what you are missing. Thank you for putting Taipei/Taiwan right where it should be on a food list, right near the top!!!

Translation of the above comment

Welcome to Taipei. The night market and street food is one of the best in the world

“Charleston, South Carolina is now the No. 1 travel destination in the world” ?????

In whose reality? That of the mainly US readers of a US magazine? Quite frankly, that is ridiculous, as is having 3 US cities in this list. What about Sydney? San Sebastian? Shanghai? Hong Kong? Copenhagan? You can’t place New Orleans above any of those based simply on the fact it has a unique cuisine within the USA.

And Italy is, quite frankly, overrated and past its sell-by-date, food-wise. It has comfort factor but lacks flavour and innovation.

Hi Anthony,

Charleston has been consistently voted either No. 1 or at least in the Top Ten (No. 7) for travel destinations by both Travel & Leisure and Condé Nast for several years and while you may not agree, obviously, other people think Charleston is worthy of the ranking.

This list was my choice as are most Top Ten lists based on personal experience and research. In addition, I wanted to include some places that were unexpected since so many cities get press all the time. Certainly, there are more than ten places in the world that have amazing food, including many more U.S. cities. The world is a big place, but the article was limited to ten.

Incidentally, I would have to argue with you about Italy. To say that Italy is past it’s prime is an awfully broad generalization about a country that still has some of the best food and wine available anywhere in the world. Modernistic cuisine is not always the best food and we have found many chefs in the U.S. returning to more simplistic preparations. Maybe Italy knows what it’s doing after all.

Great post about some travel destinations known for their cuisine. I wonder how many people know how popular Charleston, South Carolina has become.

Excluding tasty food and friendly people, if you are interested in Chinese culture and arts, I strongly recommend you visit National Taiwan University of Arts （NTUA）located in New Taipei City. Oscar winning director Ang Lee is one of NTUA’s graduate.

South American food was left aside in this list, certainly perhaps one of the best cuisines in the world is in Peru perhaps not as popular but there is no doubt its variety and exquisites make the peruvian food one of the best in the world.

Taiwan street foods is nice but not all of the foods. Eventually should include Thailand and Malaysia. Especially Malaysia because of their multi-cultural makes their foods special. They have multi ethnicity therefore their foods are combination of Chinese p, Malays, India and much more. Highly recommend!

How about Penang, Malaysia?

all of you have to find a peruvian food restaurant….peruvian food is the best of the world…

YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT DELICIOUS IS PERUVIAN FOOD. IN RECENT YEARS THE PERUVIAN FOOD IS MUCH protruding WORLDWIDE BUT ONLY SPANISH LEVEL.
I was LOOKING PAGES IN ENGLISH ABOUT PERUVIAN FOOD, BUT NOT FOUND ANY EH.
I INVITE YOU TO ENJOY OUR FOOD.
I AM SURE THAT IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD.